If you’re ready to start practising your rug tufting skills, here are three beginner rug tufting patterns for you!
Important Notes: We’ll use acrylic yarn, the most beginner-friendly and cost-effective option for all patterns. Not sure where to buy your yarn? Before getting started, check out our recommended suppliers list here.
Basic Materials Needed for All Projects
Tufting gun
Primary backing fabric
Carpet backing adhesive
Secondary backing fabric
Scissors
Yarn
Frame sized for project
Projector
Pattern 1: Color Block Squares
Difficulty: Very Beginner
Size: 24″ x 24″ (2ft x 2ft = 4 sq ft)
Time estimate: 2-3 hours
Design
A modern square rug divided into two main sections with a border:
- Outer border: Colour C (approximately 2″ wide)
- Left section: Color A (approximately 10″ wide)
- Right section: Color B (approximately 10″ wide)
Materials Specific to This Project
Using 7oz (200g) balls:
- Colour A (left section): 3-4 balls
- Colour B (right section): 3-4 balls
- Colour C (border): 2 balls (14oz / 400g)
- Total: 8-10 balls of 7oz acrylic yarn (averaging $5-7 per ball)
- Estimated Cost: $40-70
OR
Using 1lb (454g) skeins:
- Colour A: 1.5-2 skeins (24-32oz / 680-908g)
- Colour B: 1.5-2 skeins (24-32oz / 680-908g)
- Colour C: 1 skein (16oz / 454g)
- Total: 5 skeins of 1lb acrylic yarn
- Estimated Cost: $48-75
Backing fabric: 40″ x 40″
Instructions
- Stretch backing fabric on the frame
- Project or draw:
- Outer border lines at 2″ from edges
- A vertical line down the centre
- Tuft in this order:
- Start with the border in Color C
- Fill the left section with Color A
- Fill the right section with Color B
- Clean up lines between sections
- Apply backing
Pattern 2: Concentric Circles
Difficulty: Beginner
Size: 30″ diameter (30″ diameter ≈ 5 sq ft)
Estimated Time: 3-4 hours
Design
Three concentric circles:
- Outer circle: 30″ diameter Red (Colour A)
- Middle circle: 20″ diameter Yellow (Colour B)
- Inner circle: 10″ diameter Black (Colour C)
Materials Specific to This Project
Using 7oz (200g) balls:
- Outer circle (largest): 4-5 balls
- Middle circle: 3-4 balls
- Inner circle (smallest): 2 balls
- Total: 9-11 balls of 7oz acrylic yarn
- Estimated Cost: $45-77
OR
Using 1lb (454g) skeins:
- Color A: 2 skeins (32oz / 908g)
- Color B: 1.5 skeins (24oz / 680g)
- Colour C: 1 skein (16oz / 454g) Total: 4.5 skeins of 1lb acrylic yarn
- Estimated Cost: $54-68
Backing fabric: 40″ × 40″ square
Instructions
- Stretch backing fabric on the frame
- Project or draw circles:
- Mark center point
- Draw 30″ outer circle
- Draw 20″ middle circle
- Draw a 10″ inner circle
- Tuft in this order:
- Start with the inner circle
- Work outward to the middle circle
- Finally, complete the outer circle
- Pay special attention to circle transitions
- Trim to create a clean circular shape
- Apply backing
Pattern 3: Geometric Star
Estimated Time: 5-6 hours
Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Size: 30″ x 30″(30″ × 30″ = 6.25 sq ft)
Design
A centred star design with:
- 10″ diameter centre circle
- 6 triangular rays extending from the center
- Background filling negative space
Materials Specific to This Project
Using 7oz (200g) balls:
- Background: 5-6 balls (21-28oz / 600-800g)
- Star: 5-6 balls (21-28oz / 600-800g)
- Total: 10-12 balls of 7oz acrylic yarn
- Estimated Cost: $50-84
OR using 1lb (454g) skeins:
- Background: 2.5 skeins (40oz / 1135g)
- Star Points: 2.5 skeins (40oz / 1135g)
- Centre circle: 1 skein (16oz / 454g)
- Total: 5 skeins of 1lb acrylic yarn
- Estimated Cost: $60-75
Backing fabric: 40″ × 40″
Instructions
- Stretch backing fabric on the frame
- Project or draw:
- Center 10″ circle
- 6 equally spaced points
- Tuft in this order:
- Background first
- Triangles
- Centre circle
- Pay special attention to:
- Clean points where points meet the circle
- Even spacing between
- Apply backing
Tips for All Projects
- Always start with larger areas first
- Keep yarn tension consistent
- Check for gaps regularly while tufting
- Trim yarn to an even height after completing each section
- Use a level to ensure your frame is properly aligned
- Take breaks to step back and check overall progress
- Clean your tufting gun between colour changes
Common Troubleshooting
Gaps in lines
Uneven pile height
Backing fabric is too loose
Yarn breaking
Adjust yarn tension or needle depth
Check the trimming technique
Re-stretch on frame
Check if the yarn is caught in gun or if the tension is too high
Next Steps After Completion
- Let the glue dry completely (24+ hours)
- Trim the final pile to the desired height
- Vacuum to remove loose fibres
- Take photos in good lighting for documentation
- Test rug on different floor surfaces
Remember to start with Pattern 1 and master each technique before moving to the next pattern. Each design builds upon skills learned in the previous pattern.
Tips for Success
- Always test your yarn tension on a small area first
- Take breaks to avoid fatigue and maintain precision
- Keep your tufting gun clean between colour changes
- Buy extra yarn to account for mistakes and learning
Get These Patterns as a Printable PDF!
Want to take these patterns with you to your tufting workspace? Get the free PDF version that includes:
All three pattern templates
Materials checklists
Printable diagrams
Step-by-step instructions
Yarn calculations
Ready to Start Tufting?
For detailed video tufting tutorials, I highly recommend checking out Kramis Tufting Tutorials here.
This 10-part video tutorial is perfect for learning the steps to create a tufted rug from start to finish
Need Supplies?
Check out my comprehensive Where to Buy Guide for all your tufting materials and tools.
Have Questions?
Drop them in the comments below! I’d love to see your finished rugs. To share your creations, tag me on Instagram @rugcraftinghub.
